Silly girl

Contents of the instructions Jacquelyn failed to read:

'You shall be given the sterling dagger tomorrow. Thrust it deep into the heart of The Vampire King on the night of your wedding. If you return victorious, then you shall be given a place in the royal court.'

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. . . . .

"What interesting part..." Jacquelyn blinked, her eyes darting between the man and the young boy as she struggled to comprehend her situation.

First, she was getting married, and to the same man she had met at the market who was abusive to his son. The memory of their encounter that night still lingered. But the problem was, the man in front of her looked too young to be someone's father.

And this was because, in human years, Kael looked like he was younger than thirty. His skin even appeared smoother compared to that of the princess standing in front of him, a fact that only added to her bewilderment.

"Are you done?" Kael drawled, giving the girl a small friendly smile that seemed to put her at ease. "With your instructions?"

Jacquelyn bit her lower lip gently. She had guessed what was written on the paper, but maybe that wasn't all. She turned her head, looking at the boy beside her, pleading with her eyes for answers. The boy's gaze met hers, his eyes wide with concern.

"Don't be shy; here is a safe place. And you even know our dear Ballister. Feel at home," Kael encouraged, his words delivered smoothly like honey dripping from a spoon.

Jacquelyn's eyes darted to both sides, her mind racing as she desperately sought an escape. This wasn't starting well already; first, she had insulted her husband at the market, and now she wasn't prepared enough to meet him.

A thought crossed her mind, making her raise her eyes to look at the man suspiciously. If he already had a son, that meant this wasn't his first marriage. A shiver ran down her spine as she wondered if the instructions were connected to his first marriage. Jacquelyn nodded firmly to herself; it was something about his first marriage.

But when her eyes met the molten eyes of the vampire king, she froze.

Kael was grinning ear to ear, his smile gleaming like polished ivory. "Go on... do it," he encouraged.

Ballister, standing beside her, looked at Jacquelyn with a mixture of nervousness and concern. The girl had escaped death before, only to embrace it again. He knew his master's evil game, and it wasn't a pretty one. Kael wanted the girl to try and attack him, to give him a reason to kill her.

The room remained in an awkward silence, with two people feeling nervous, and just one person having the best time of his day with a relaxed smile that was set to deceive those who didn't know better. Kael's eyes gleamed with amusement, like a cat toying with its prey.

After giving it a thought, Jacquelyn rubbed her arm, then took two bold steps forward, closing the distance between herself and Kael. She started,

"I am Princess Jacquelyn Avignon from the Royal House of Stormont. Now your wife, I promise to love you for as long as I live..."

Kael dropped his gaze on the human in front of him, who was fearlessly confessing her feelings using the fragile life of mortals as a promise. He smirked.

Jacquelyn remained focused, not letting anything deter her from her vows. She continued,

"I will stand beside you and support all your decisions as your other half."

This time Kael was sure that the girl in front of him had some screws loose in her head because no human in their right mind would gladly accept to stay beside him and, most importantly, support all his decisions.

Ballister shifted uncomfortably from his position as he sensed the danger lurking behind his master's charming smile.

Jacquelyn noticed how deep in thought the man in front of her was, and she decided it was time to seal the deal; a killer move that would make him know her real intentions. She tipped on her toes, but it still wasn't enough to get to his height. She raised her face, moving closer for a kiss.

"Mmmmm..." She brought her lips closer to his face, ready to plant a kiss.

Kael raised his brows slightly. When the girl was almost getting close to him, he poked her forehead with his finger, pushing her back.

"Ah!" Jacquelyn rubbed her forehead, glaring at him, her earlobes burned red with shame. She had channeled her last straw of boldness, only to be rejected.

Kael hummed thoughtfully, still looking at the girl. "Your King tries to make a joke by sending a silly girl? Haha... tell him I laughed." With that, he turned and climbed the staircase, leaving Jacquelyn and Ballister behind.

"What is wrong with him?" Jacquelyn muttered, "Acting like he is a god or something just because he's handsome." The girl huffed, folding her hands across her chest.

Ballister rubbed his hand on his face, looking at the staircase, then at the princess. "You're alive... again that's... new."

"What are you saying?" Jacquelyn asked, her brows furrowed with confusion. But before the boy could reply, she continued, "Is your father always like that? Ill-tempered and pompous."

Ballister shook his head, his eyes widening in a mixture of warning and alarm as he gazed at the girl whose survival rate seemed to dwindle every time she opened her mouth. "He is not my father, but my master, the Great Kael," he corrected, in a low and cautious voice.

"Ohhh, Great Kael," Jacquelyn whispered the name. "So... I see Great Kael is angry because I made a mistake. I should apologize to him then, so we can move forward with the marriage rites." Jacquelyn nodded to herself, taking a step forward towards the stairs.

Ballister ran forward, going to stand in the princess's way. "Huma-I mean Princess Jacquelyn, if I were you, I'd leave now. It's not every day you see him like this... as a matter of fact, this is the first," Ballister added, his eyes darting nervously towards the staircase.

He was surprised to still see the girl breathing, and maybe it was her lucky day, or did his master really turn into a changed person? The young boy didn't know, but for some reason, he wanted the human girl to leave while she was still alive.

Jacquelyn narrowed her eyes at the young boy, as if thinking about what he said. Then she smiled, "Relax..." She raised her hand, waiting for him to say his name.

"Ballister, my name is Ballister." The young-looking boy replied.

Jacquelyn snapped her fingers. "Great! Ballister, I am no longer a princess but a lady of this house. I am your master's wife, so you should be worried about nothing."

Ballister exhaled wearily, his shoulders sagging as he rubbed his temples, as if trying to ward off a looming headache. "You can't be his wife, he is-"

"Ballister..." Kael's deep, commanding voice boomed, sending a shiver down everyone's spine. "Playtime is over, I am hungry."

Without uttering a single word to Jacquelyn, Ballister dashed upstairs, his feet pounding the steps in a frantic bid to serve his master.

Jacquelyn stood at the end of the staircase, with her arms akimbo. There were so many things she wasn't happy with, and what topped it all was the way her husband acted towards her. He treated her like she was just a child who was invisible. Thinking that maybe he was acting this way to test her and also punish her for insulting him at the market, Jacquelyn chuckled, shaking her head slightly.

"He doesn't know me... I'm not one to give up easily. I'm not going to go back to the palace to live as a cursed princess. I'm here to live as your bride, Kael." With this, the princess started climbing the stairs.